Fall Back

Last week I went running up along Wasatch Boulevard, at least that was my plan. I stumbled on the mouth a a trail and thought, "What the heck?" and took off. I was abundantly rewarded at the top of the first stretch by a gorgeous view of a small reservoir. The glassy water was surrounded by the last of the colored mountain leaves. Further on up I came onto the stream that empties into the lake. It was so beautiful and peaceful that I knew I was coming back soon and bringing the boys with me. A few days later was an early release from school so we headed straight for the hills after I picked them up.

They loved it.

Sunday morning we invited Brooks to go back up with us. It was the last nice day of the fall and I wanted to soak in every minute of it before the weather turned for good. Much of the fiery color that was there only days before had already dropped or turned dull but it was still gorgeous. The boys and I collected a handful of our favorite leaves to do leaf rubbings later that day. Brooks pointed out signs of wildlife, Oliver fell in the stream as he tried crossing back over, Brahm raced me on the way down (and won). When the calendar offers an extra hour, I gratefully accept.

Secret Message

"INFORMATION: Mom is troubled by something. Probably secret spy gear annoying her."

Note to children: Yes, Mom is troubled by something, namely two little boys who stick their ears (a.k.a. "secret spy gear") to the bedroom door when Mom is trying to have private conversation with Dad.

"Hourglass"

I got shivers a few weeks ago. The boys and I (minus Brooks) went down to Provo for the release concert of my sister's latest album "Anchor" held at the Covey Performing Arts Center on Center St. The lights went down and the curtain came up to a backdrop of red umbrellas and twinkle lights hung from the ceiling amidst foamy gauze. Then Mindy started to sing and that's when I got the shivers.

The thing about Mindy is that she is everything I'm not. Looking at her is like seeing into a younger, backward mirror: she's soft, born with a gift for expression, lovely beyond words, full of grace and natural style, deliberate, yet very down-to-earth and non-assuming. I love all these things about her and wonder what life is like looking through her lens?

Mindy is seated on my mom's lap, I'm standing second from the left.

Mindy is the eighth of nine children, six or seven years younger than me. Our parents were big on music lessons for all their daughters. We grew up with voice and instrument lessons - mostly piano - and used to sing a lot together, especially at church and family functions. But as the rest of us got older, other interests diverted our attention. Mindy and my youngest sister, Lindsey, were the only ones who took music past childhood and into college. I love that Mindy, though she didn't make it through try-outs for choral groups in high school and college, persisted in singing for the sheer love of it. I love that she believes in herself and in the power of music so much that "Anchor" is her third album release, meeting with as much acclaim and success (if not, more) as the first two.

Recently she was contacted by Michelle Phan who is a popular make-up artist on YouTube. Michelle wanted to use some of Mindy's songs in her videos so Mindy produced a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixbL8PLitpw) at the last minute for one of them, "Hourglass", as a link. Incidentally, she wrote the songs for her two boys, similar in age to Brahm and Oliver. My personal favorite is the title song from her new album. I love both the song and the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AWRHBHDVlQ.

It's the combination of lyrics like this and her melodic, dreamy voice that give me the goosebumps. I'm not the only one, either. An hour ago as I was watching the "Hourglass" video Oliver came in and sat on my lap to watch it with me.

"Mom, I like Mindy's voice," he says out of the blue.

"Me, too, little man. Me, too."

Random

Here is the link to the eBay listing of the tie-dye tees:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190458486374&var=&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

I took Brahm to an activity a couple weeks ago and while I was waiting for him, Oliver and I took a trip to the vending machines. I dug around in my purse for what seemed like forever but could not find any cash. "Well, Oliver," I said, finally giving up, "looks like we're out of luck." No sooner had the words come out of my mouth than a man walked up, handed me a dollar bill, smiled, and left through an adjacent door.

Sneak Peek

Making these one-of-a-kind tie-dye spooky tees has now become a yearly tradition. It started a few years ago when my friend Emily and I were brainstorming what we could donate to the craft sale at community garden's annual pumpkin festival. We came up with with a few standard tie-dye tees in the beginning and since then it has morphed into this.

The tees below are what came back this year after the festival ended. I'm posting them on my blog as a sneak peek before I put them up for sale on eBay this week (I will also post the eBay links). 100% of the proceeds go to the Wasatch Community Garden's Historic Sandy garden. Click here for more info on the garden and to see a fabu pic of the pumpkin patch in Spring 2009: http://wasatchgardens.org/garden/community-gardening. Each tee is one-of-a-kind and made from sturdy 100% cotton (not the flimsy Hanes under-shirt kind). They also come with washing and garment care instructions, of course.

Size: 2-4

Size 2-4

Size 2-4

Size 6-8

Size 4/5

Size 2T

Size 2-4

Size 2-4

Size 24M

Salsa Verde

My friend Shauna introduced me to this recipe a couple of years ago. I'm posting it because this growing year has produced a lot of green tomatoes for me and this recipe can use them as a substitute for the tomatillos. I love the way her end product tasted largely because of the way she and her husband grilled the peppers. She cut them all up with the charred skin and all. Be sure to use bottled lemon juice and not fresh - this is important. You won't be sorry. Also, you can use a steam canner to process the jars using the same amount of time as is recommended here for the immersion method. Be sure to adjust time for your altitude. Happy Harvest!

Tomatillo Green Salsa

5 c. chopped Tomatillos (or green tomatoes)
1 1/2 c. seeded chopped long green chiles  (we used anaheim chiles,  and Luke roasted them on the grill along with the jalapenos)
1/2 c. seeded finely chopped jalapenos
4 c. chopped onions
1 c. bottled lemon juice
6 cloves of garlic,  finely chopped
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 TBSP salt
1 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in large sauce pan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes,  stirring occasionally.  Ladle into hot pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner 20 minutes.

So It Is

While unwinding for bed tonight, I go into my office to water the schefflera tree. Looking up, I notice a Lego fortress custom-built around its trunk.  I also notice dead leaves on the floor and as I extricate the creation from its place, a few more fall from the branches to join the others. Concerned, I take it up with Brahm, who is finishing dinner in the next room.

"Hey, dude, I don't mean to rain on your parade but I'm wondering if you can find a new home for your Lego fortress. I think it might be a strain on the tree."

"No problem, Mom," is his reply. "This parade has brought along umbrellas."

"Hey," I chime. "I like that." I pause to reflect on the different meanings of his insight, impressed with the wisdom my nine-year-old has just imparted.

"What do you like about it?" he wants to know.

"Well," I begin, grabbing a chair to join him, "I like how, for me, it means that even in a bad circumstance, I can change my attitude. I can be flexible and not let it get me down. It's like I have a back-up plan or something."

"Yeah," he agrees, seeing my point. "Well, my back-up plan has taken the shape of a Lego hideout in the fern in the mudroom."